


The Tiger and the Moon

by SnugglePuppyBoi



Series: Fairy Tales [2]
Category: Fairy Tales & Related Fandoms, Original Work
Genre: Fairy Tale Typical Violence, Gen, Inspired by Music, fairy tale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 12:22:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29436006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SnugglePuppyBoi/pseuds/SnugglePuppyBoi
Summary: “What danger is there to me? I may not have your favor, but no creature on the earth has ever gazed upon me and wished me harm. I am the moon, the only of my kind this world has, and though the world below may be dangerous, I trust in who I am to be my protection.”During the early years of the world, the moon descends to Earth against the cautions of her sister, the sun, so that her light will shine just as brightly as her sister shines by day. Not all of the creatures below take kindly to her meddling in earthly affairs.Inspired by the song The Thief and the Moon by Shawn James.
Series: Fairy Tales [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2162199
Comments: 6
Kudos: 7





	The Tiger and the Moon

**Author's Note:**

> If there's a content warning you'd like added to the story that "Fairy Tale Typical Violence" doesn't cover, let me know and I'll add it. 
> 
> [Also, definitely check out the song that inspired this. ](https://youtu.be/gFZGt6bMAXA)
> 
> Please enjoy the story!

When the world was young it sought, like all young things, to find its own balance. All the pieces of it—the waters, the earth, the plants, the beasts, the sun and moon and stars—were new and strange to one another and sought to learn how they must all act for the world to continue on. And, in time, a sort of order was reached, though that order was just as fluid as the shifting seas and existed to withstand an endless amount of changes and adjustments. 

It was in those young days that the moon began to lament that her sister, the sun, shone so much brighter than her. Each ruled over their own half of the day, giving light to the world below, but the moon's glow was soft and gentle, nothing like the bold warmth of her sister. 

If she had been someone else she might have even resented her sister—wasn't it so, after all, that so many creatures praised her sister and basked in her warmth but would only remark as an afterthought that the moon was lovely too? But the moon was not resentful and could never begrudge her sister for what she felt was her own failing. The sun had no more asked to glow so brightly than the moon had asked to cast such little light. No, the moon instead sought to fix her problems on her own. 

There was nothing she could do to glow brighter. Her nature was what it was and she could no more change it than she could become an entirely different person. This did not trouble her. Instead, she thought up another way she could differ from her sister and accomplish her goal of bringing greater light to the world. 

And, after much thought, she had a lovely idea, one that filled her with excitement just at the thought of it. What was stopping her from descending from the heavens and taking to the earth itself? From there, even though her light was so gentle, it would shine just as brightly as the sun. What was more, she would be able to explore the vast and strange world beneath her, not just distantly observe it from her place in the sky. 

Overjoyed, she wasted no time in telling her sister her plan. To her surprise, her sister was not as taken with the idea as she was. 

The sun cautioned the moon, “Sister, the world below is not like our world above. Below there is sickness and killing and death. To descend is to enter a world of danger. I beg you to stay.”

But the moon could not be convinced. “What danger is there to me? I may not have your favor, but no creature on the earth has ever gazed upon me and wished me harm. I am the moon, the only of my kind this world has, and though the world below may be dangerous, I trust in who I am to be my protection.”

The sisters argued back and forth but the moon remained unswayed and the sun was forced to admit defeat. That night, just as the sun's light faded to be replaced by the soft glow of the moon, something that had never occurred before happened. The moon descended to earth and her light was a shining beacon, a second daylight that stretched far across the earth's surface. Because her light could only extend so far, the moon could not remain in one place and began to travel across every inch of the world, bringing light to all of it. 

Along the way, she learned many things about the creatures that could be found there. Creatures that she had once thought she would only ever know as faraway actors in a strange play beyond her comprehension suddenly became real-life figures in her world. She met Rabbit and Owl and Wolf, Mouse and Fish and Moth, and she soon became engrossed with the dramas of their lives. As she traveled the earth, she grew her popularity from that of a distant beauty by acting as a protectress to the various beasts she encountered, using her light to spot dangers and navigate darkness. 

But kindness to one is often cruelty to another. Though the young maiden moon was beloved by many, she was hated by others. The more one side loved her, the more the other side loathed her, until, finally, they could stand it no longer. 

And thus appeared Tiger.

The moon was traveling the earth as usual, using her light to protect the little creatures who flocked to her, when Tiger emerged from the brush with fangs bared and eyes that called for blood. The little creatures at the moon's feet scattered to safety. The moon, having never been threatened before, was frightened. More than that, though, she was incredulous. 

She was no mere animal to be cornered and eaten. She was not even a star, of which thousands could be seen hanging in the night sky. She was the moon, one of her kind to the earth, and she was almost as beloved as her sister, the sun. 

With her heart secretly rabbiting in her chest and her head held high, gaze stony, the moon spoke, “Why do you stand in my way, Tiger?”

Tiger snarled, the expression on his face becoming even more vicious. The hatred in his heart towards the moon grew ten times as fierce at the moon's words. To think she could cause such harm and not know it, the arrogance to claim Tiger stood in her way in his forest, it would be laughable if the tiger's very life was not at stake. 

Tiger was one of many creatures forced to the brink of starvation by the moon's travels upon the earth. No longer able to hunt by night thanks to the moon's bright meddling, he'd begun to wither away until he'd become skin and bones, nothing like his former glory. Not only was Tiger enraged at this, which he viewed as an attack on his livelihood and the livelihoods of all his children, but his pride was injured, too. Truly what the moon had done was unforgivable!

Not answering the moon's question—what fault of his was it if she died in ignorance?—Tiger took a threatening step towards her. 

Tiger spoke, “Tonight is the night you die.”

Startled, the moon could not help but take a stumbling step backwards. A cruel satisfaction grew in Tiger's heart to see her fear, even when the maiden moon tried seconds later to cover it by putting on a brave face once more. 

“You have a grievance with me. Grievances can be peacefully resolved. There's no need for you to cause me harm,” the moon tried to reason. 

She thought her words were very good, logical and sound, and could not understand why they seemed to only increase Tiger's rage towards her. Tiger snarled again, swiping out with one heavy paw, and the moon scrambled backwards just in time to avoid being gutted by the deadly claws that instead sliced through the open air.

Though Tiger had resolved to let the moon die without knowing her crimes, he could not stop himself from saying, “No need to cause you harm? Is the preservation of my life so unimportant? Are all my children who starve and die because of you not worth avenging? Is the life of a tiger worth so much less than the life of a moon?”

The moon did not understand and hoped to expose a flaw in Tiger's logic and save her own life. She spoke, “When have I starved your children? When have I threatened your life?”

“You do worse than taking food from our mouths. Every night you shine your light so brightly in my forest and warn all the prey creatures of our presence. How can we feed ourselves with your interference? How do you expect us not to die?” 

The moon was momentarily speechless. Her time in the heavens had left her so far removed from the realities of life on the earth that it had never occurred to her that, by necessity, saving one animal from being eaten would mean preventing another animal from eating. 

A profound awkwardness grew alongside her fear, a sense that perhaps she had failed to think through her actions fully and caused unnecessary hardships. 

The moon spoke, “This grievance can still be resolved without violence.” With some difficulty, she continued, “I had not realized I was causing you harm. I apologize.”

Never had she apologized to another person before, not even to her sister, the sun. Never before had she felt the need to. In her place in the sky, after all, she had caused harm to no one.

But apologies, even those spoken with sincerity, cannot right wrongs by words alone. 

Tiger remained unmoved by the moon’s words. “This grievance will be resolved with blood. For robbing me of my prey, you will become my prey. Only your death will earn your forgiveness.”

Grief grew in the moon’s heart as she realized nothing she could say would dissuade Tiger from this action against her. Still, she spoke, “Tiger, know that my words are true. If you do this, you’ll have damned yourself along with me. There will be no turning back from the actions you’ve taken on this night.”

But Tiger did not listen. With a roar and a flash of fangs, Tiger leapt forward. The moon screamed, turned to flee, but was knocked to the ground beneath Tiger’s weight. She struggled and from the darkness dozens of fearful eyes watched as the beautiful glow of the moon faded, eaten bite by bite by a vengeful beast. 

When the moon did not return to the heavens at dawn, the sun wept for her sister but did not dare descend to avenge her. 

The nights following that one were of the deepest dark. The hunters that had once starved under the maiden moon’s well-intentioned interference grow plump and content, the little creatures that had once flocked to the maiden moon’s feet re-learning to fear the night. But something curious began to happen within Tiger’s forest. At first, Tiger was no different than any other hunter, returned to his former glory after his murder of the moon. But then…

But then, Tiger’s belly began to glow. 

It started as a dim glow, almost unnoticeable. Just the faintest hint of something to alert prey in the dark, helping the most aware to escape his clutches. But quickly the glow grew, brighter and brighter until Tiger’s belly rivaled the brilliance of the sun in the sky, of the former maiden moon upon the earth. 

The moon had said he would damn himself along with her and her words, as she’d promised him, were, in fact, true. 

Tiger began to starve once again. Hunting became impossible and, even worse, Tiger became the hunted. Hunters from all over came to Tiger’s forest. Some were hunters living within the forest, angered for the same reason Tiger had been angered by the moon. Some were daytime hunters or admirers of the former moon who, having realized what must have occurred to cause such a thing to happen to Tiger, sought revenge against him for his crimes against her.

Whatever their reasons, it did not take long for Tiger’s luck to run out. He was captured and killed and, in an attempt to rescue the moon or recover her body, gutted. From the gore of Tiger’s body emerged a figure, but that figure but was not the maiden moon. 

The figure was a boy, who glowed like the moon but whose skin was striped and spotted. 

With a look of utmost misery, the boy spoke to the gathered hunters. “My mother has done a terrible thing to my father. He has eaten her. And for me to be free of my mother’s belly, you all must have done a terrible thing to him as well. This place is cruel, filled with bloodshed and killing, and I will spend no more time here. My heart yearns to explore as my parents did, but instead, I will take my father’s place and become the moon.”

And so the gathered hunters watched the boy do just that, ascending to the heavens to take the place of the moon. The deepest dark of night ended, returning to the gentle illumination of older days, though the creatures of the earth noticed differences between the new moon and his maiden moon father. This new moon was not perfect and unblemished but bore the marks of his tiger mother even from his place in the sky. This new moon, too, did not shine with the same light every night but grew brighter and dimmer, following a cycle of mourning for the deaths of both his parents. On some nights, his crying face cast no light at all. 

The largest difference, of course, was that the new moon never ventured to earth to roam its surface. The new moon feared for his life and, having learned from the mistakes of his parents, vowed never to make them himself. 

The world grew older, finding its place, and though many things have changed, that same child of the former maiden moon and Tiger hangs in the sky today. And no force within this world, upon heaven or earth, will tempt him from his cycles of mourning in the sky, for as long as he remains the moon. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! 
> 
> If you'd like to, leave a kudos or comment. I'd love any feedback you have to give, especially since I don't expect many eyes on this.


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